Case Number 13089: Small Claims Court

AMERICA: LIVE IN CENTRAL PARK 1979

The Charge

'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair And the days
surround your daylight there Seasons crying no despair Alligator
lizards in the air, in the air - "Ventura Highway"

The Case

If you're not an ardent fan of the long-standing folk-rock band, America, you
might be inclined to admit you're not familiar with their music. But, listen to
a few opening bars of one of their hit songs -- or merely hear mention of
alligator lizards in the air -- and you'll certainly say, "oh, yeah, I know
that song." Precocious in their songwriting and performance abilities, the
band had their first big hit, "A Horse with No Name," in 1972, the
three members of the band all at about 20 years of age. Although they had
aspirations of mimicking the Beatles success with concept rock (see Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), their initial producer, Ian Samwell,
steered the trio to perfect their acoustic arrangements and three-part
harmonies. Although their self-titled first album didn't do well upon release,
Samwell wisely re-released it, this time to include the newly popular
"Horse with No Name" cut. And after Samwell had keen insight and
helped establish America on the popular stage, good fate would continue to visit
the threesome, they who attracted the production services of the Fab Four's own
George Martin from 1974 to 1979. The hits kept coming such as "Tin
Man," "Lonely People," and "Sister Golden Hair."
Founding member Dan Peek left the band in 1977 but his amicable departure did
not slow the remaining Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley from continuing on in
their success.

At the final performance of America's 1979 tour, Australian filmmaker Peter
Clifton (The Song Remains the Same) traveled to New York's Central Park
amphitheater to capture the show in front of an audience of thousands. Bunnell
and Beckley are in fine form, musically and vocally, and the rest of the band
plays tightly with the lead men to affect a well-received performance. All the
hits you love are here. After a brief opening intro and titles sequence, the
performance proper follows, including these additional recognizable tunes:

Technically, this DVD plays very much like your favorite years-old America
LPs. That is, while the music is fine and uplifting, the technical limitations
cannot be ignored. The film stock is very grainy and soft, colors bleeding all
over the place in a way that will make you believe you've stumbled upon an
anamorphically enhanced VHS tape. The audio gets better treatment in that we're
offered an expanded DTS 5.1 track that improves upon the listening experience.
Even so, this is a track that plays largely at the higher end, bass being almost
non-existent throughout. Other audio options include a decent Dolby Digital 5.1
track and a cramped Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo alternate that should be avoided.
The only extra on the disc is the running commentary from the film's director,
Peter Clifton (The Song Remains the Same). He provides interesting
insight into the making of the film, his choices for co-mingling stage shots
with various location shots, and his views of the country in 1979, a time he
considers "the end of the innocence." Unfortunately, he lapses into
silence too often.

Now, to backtrack a moment on the criticism of the image quality, there's an
offsetting benefit to the grainy and uncontrolled appearance of the film, that
being it astutely captures the state of the art in 1979. If you're a fan of the
1970s, warts and all, this presentation will take you back to those
"innocent" days. This aspect is enhanced, then, by Clifton's inclusion
of many crowd shots, cityscapes, and the then-acceptable indulgence in marijuana
(and there are several unabashed scenes of carefree toking so, smoke 'em if you
got 'em).

Alternately, though this has a dual purpose for fans of the 1970s, this
particular DVD shortchanges loyal America fans by offering so little on this
release. Although it's unknown whether additional material exists, it would be
most appropriate to offer an extended cut of the film, especially since the
songs are presented out of sequential order, easily evidenced by the breaks in
crowd noise as well as the alternating levels of natural light. If the excised
footage does still exist, it would seem that would make for an uncut version of
the filmed concert, if not presented in whole, at least offered as extended or
deleted sequences. Sadly, that material is not to be found on this disc.

In the end, there's plenty to like about the performances captured on this
disc but, unfortunately, there's also enough that is overlooked that makes this
a difficult purchase. Rent it, at the least, to enjoy the musicianship of this
talented band that is still releasing albums and touring across the nation.